New Years Eve in WDW?

[GoingtoWDWagain]

Last minute planning for New Years Eve vacation to WDW! Dec. 30 - Jan. 6

So many questions:

HS holiday lights still going during that time?
MK for New Years Eve?
What park has best New Years Eve celebration if any?
How crowded are the parks during that time?
Special dining for New Years Eve and/or New Years Day?
Christmas decorations still up during that time?

Thanks in advance for any information/tips/ideas you can provide

 

[DisneyDetective]

I have never been to any of the parks or Florida for that matter however I was listening to the Dis podcast and one of them said EPCOT is the most enjoyable out of all the pak.

 

[kmb584]

The Osbourne Lights are still twinkling in DHS and the parks are still decorated to the max, however please keep in mind that the parks, all of the parks, will be elbow room only. The week of Christmas to the New Year sees the highest crowd level of the entire year.

I don't want to scare you from going as it's truly a magical time to visit, but I do want you to be prepared for the sheer amount of people you'll see!

 

[GoingtoWDWagain]

Thanks a bunch

 

[GoingtoWDWagain]

Anything special going on at the parks (mainly) MK on New Years Eve?

 

[AThrillingChase]

here goes!

Last minute planning for New Years Eve vacation to WDW! Dec. 30 - Jan. 6

So many questions:

HS holiday lights still going during that time? yes
MK for New Years Eve? I did HS one year, but I have also heard EP is the best. And more space in WS to wander as opposed to ride lines.
What park has best New Years Eve celebration if any? see above. HS was a blast though. They do give out hats/horns/headbands and all that.
How crowded are the parks during that time? Busy, but, it drops significantly after new years day
Special dining for New Years Eve and/or New Years Day? My guess is maybe California Grill or other signatures
Christmas decorations still up during that time? They started taking them down after new years day

Thanks in advance for any information/tips/ideas you can provide

 

[tiggergirlinMI]

Went last year over dec 30 and 31
Yes lights still up everywhere
We saw MK New Year's Eve fireworks DEC 30 they do them that night as well, pretty much could stand anywhere as not many people and could enjoy the same show a day early
Very very crowded, we didn't go to ride rides, we went for the entertainment and just to enjoy New Years.
Epcot was very crowded New Year's Eve daytime, wall to wall people I'm world showcase.
We were at studios enjoying Mulch Sweat and Shears on stage from 830 til just before midnight. They played all kinds of sets and had the crowd rocking.
Want to see all the parks shoot their fireworks? We were on the Boardwalk near the piano bar and there you could see the fireworks at midnight from epcot, MK, and if you want to see the most different , walk over to the crosswalk between swan and dolphin and see the fireworks from Studios as they rarely set off fireworks. Great view, low crowds from there.
See the MK fireworks dec 30 if you can

 

[cjlvsccm]

Last minute planning for New Years Eve vacation to WDW! Dec. 30 - Jan. 6

So many questions:

HS holiday lights still going during that time? Yes
MK for New Years Eve?
What park has best New Years Eve celebration if any?
How crowded are the parks during that time? Seriously crowded
Special dining for New Years Eve and/or New Years Day? Many TS places have special menus, and most others feature the dinner menu only for lunch and dinner time
Christmas decorations still up during that time? Yes

Thanks in advance for any information/tips/ideas you can provide

We did MK on 12/30 and Ep on 12/31. MK regularly reaches capacity during that week before NY, so the gates get closed at various times throughout the day. So, we planned for open-to-close, both days, in order to be assured entry! It was brutal, but worth it!

We don't usually do a lot of TS dining in the parks, but since we had long days, we planned for it this time. Late lunches and dinners made great restful breaks.

MK has its special Fantasy in the Sky on both nights, so we got regular Wishes at 8 or 9pm(?), then the super fireworks on the midnight countdown. It was beyond spectacular!!!! Like daylight on the hub, surrounded by fireworks everywhere you looked! Truly worth the wait! I can't say enough about how great that show was.

Epcot had an entirely different vibe, and the celebration is only on 12/31. Very crowded, but it's so huge it handles the masses better. At least three places in the park have huge Dance Party stages. Club music is not our thing, but the spectacle was fun to listen to and watch. There is a special holiday overlay to Illuminations, that was really terrific! Extra fireworks from the countries around the lake, in the order that each of those places gets to celebrate the New Year! We were watching from in front of Italy, so we could actually see Wishes going off in the distance at the same time!

There are family-friendly dance parties in MK as well, with various characters dancing along with guests. Think teen-Disney music and bubbles, instead of laser lights and thumping music.

The park and resort decorations came down quickly after the 1st. We actually missed seeing GF's Gingerbread House entirely, and were bummed about that. But I think we saw the Osborne lights on 01/02, and it was pleasantly uncrowded!!

We heard that DHS had a fun celebration too, but we had to pass on it this time. Would we go again? You betcha!! A super good time can be had -- as long as you bring your tolerance for the enormous crowds and patience for long waits.


Have a fabulous trip!!

 

[Disnerdette]

here goes!

Do they take down all of the decorations after New Years Day? I was there for the marathon a few weeks ago and MK was still decorated for Christmas.

I've been considering going down for NYE and a few days after for a while now, too - this may have convinced me!

 

[toscoo]

NYE IS THE BUSIEST DAY OF THE YEAR AT MK.MK WILL CLOSE around 10am and not reopen until AT LEAST 8:25pm.WAIT TIMES WILL be 60-240 minutes for almost all the rides.CROWDS WILL BE SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WALL TO WALL ALL DAY.It is also THE BUSIEST DAY OF THE YEAR at epcot.ALL RIDES will have wait times between 60 minutes & 300 mins.CROWDS WILL BE SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WALL TO WALL ALL OVER world showcase and some areas in future world.Also traffic leaving the park will be a NIGHTMARE.

 

[RMulieri]

Parks are crowded..with the school calendar falling the way it does, many schools are OUT till JAn 6th..expect HUGE crowds during your trip

 

[kbelle8995]

MK will be extemely crowded on NY and NYE due to the fact that everyone and their relative decide that MK is the place to be. As long as you are prepared for that and the long lines for not only the rides but the Bathrooms and dining locations, you should have a lovely time.

Epcot is better at handling a large amount of people which is why it is preferred by the podcasters. I myself prefer Epcot as a holiday park. In fact all the parks will be crowded.

Be Flexible and take your patience and you should have a great time.

 

[mesaboy2]

NYE IS THE BUSIEST DAY OF THE YEAR AT MK.MK WILL CLOSE around 10am and not reopen until AT LEAST 8:25pm.WAIT TIMES WILL be 60-240 minutes for almost all the rides.CROWDS WILL BE SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WALL TO WALL ALL DAY.It is also THE BUSIEST DAY OF THE YEAR at epcot.ALL RIDES will have wait times between 60 minutes & 300 mins.CROWDS WILL BE SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WALL TO WALL ALL OVER world showcase and some areas in future world.Also traffic leaving the park will be a NIGHTMARE.

So you're saying it will be crowded?

 

[robinb]

HS holiday lights still going during that time?
Yes!

MK for New Years Eve?
MK for 12/30 fireworks at midnight and evening EMH (if you're staying onsite) and NYE fireworks at Epcot.

What park has best New Years Eve celebration if any?
We prefer Epcot.

How crowded are the parks during that time?
It will start out VERY crowded. The MOST crowded time at WDW. 10++++ on a scale of 1-10. By Saturday it will start to thin out as people (like us) go home. Sunday and Monday should be fairly quiet.

Special dining for New Years Eve and/or New Years Day?
Yes, there is special dining for NYE but it's very expensive. Look over at All Ears for more info.

Christmas decorations still up during that time?
Yes. And the Christmas music will still be blaring through every speaker. I think they start to switch over shortly after Jan 1. The decorations will be down by the time you leave.

My recommendations:

Fastpass is the ONLY way you will be able to ride the major attractions. Unfortunately, FP+ will probably be in place by then for everyone so I'm not really sure how that will work with regular FPs. In any case, you will want to use one or the other.

Make a dinner reservation for NYE TODAY. The lines for CS meals are insane and hundreds of people are going to be trying to walk up for a TS meal. They will leave disappointed. I am no longer much of a planner, but I had my NYE reservation in at my 190-day mark.

Rope drop & EMH. Use it. The ONLY time we are not at rope drop is when we stayed up too late the night before at an evening EMH. If you are staying offsite, avoid the park with EMH like the plague.

People will tell you that you need to be in the park of your choice early in the morning on NYE and stay there the whole day. From my experience of 10 NYEs, that it NOT true. Yes, Disney will close parks even to resort guests. Yes, Disney will close the monorail from Epcot to the MK for non-Disney resort guests. HOWEVER, all the parks including the MK will usually open up in the late afternoon or early evening as people leave. I have never been denied entrance into the Disney park of my choice on NYE (I have been to all of them) and we always take a break and return for dinner and the fireworks. If you are staying offsite it will be more problematic as they often close the MK parking lot by 10:30 am that whole Christmas/NYE week and like I said they close the monorail. Even so, we stayed offsite for Christmas last year and were able to reneter the MK parking lot later in the day that week. NYE may be different and they may keep the lot closed the whole day.

If you can, plan on seeing the later versions of things. The last Fantasmic! and the last MSEP.

If you have kids under 7, think about getting them a stroller for NYE if you are thinking about doing the whole day. It's a long day for everyone and a stroller is a quiet place for kids who would not normally need one.

Pack you patience and be ready to go with the flow. It will be very, very busy and people are very, very cranky.

You will not be able to do everything and you will have to stand in line.

Be prepared to eat lunch earlier or later at CS restaurants. Noon-1pm is crazy! Be prepared to have everyone in your party together with their food before you are able to sit down. Disney has cracked down on table saving when it is very busy.

 

[Astryd]

So you're saying it will be crowded?

Crowded is understating it.

Even with those crowds, we had a blast when we went. We did Epcot NYE, the fireworks were great and from where we were we saw the DTD fireworks also.

 

[jpotter1]

My family and I will be at WDW on NYE as well and I had heard the fireworks show is the same at MK on 12/30 as it is on NYE. I see thats true from a post further up in this thread. My question is, is it the EXACT same? shows/parades and all? and which park has a better NYE show between Hollywood Studios and Epcot? even tho we know it will be crowded, We definitely want to be in a park for NYE!

 

[sachiiiii]

Where do we look to see if a park has closed/reopened? Is this something that gets posted on any of the Disney apps that are available?
We are going right during the busiest time (Christmas day to New Years day) and I want to avoid showing up and being turned away from a park if possible.

 

[GotLabradors]

The last time I was at Disney was Christmas-New Years 99/00.

Yes, the parks are crowded, but if you are a Disney fan, being there at that time if year at least once in a lifetime is worth it. We spent one day going to all the resorts looking at the decorations. It was awesome and I'm glad we did it. It was worth every penny. We fastpassed as many rides as we could. MK and Epcot were both closed by 10am on 12/31. We had already planned to be in MK, so we made sure to be on the first monorail to MK from the Polynesian. I couldn't tell you if they ever started letting people in after the initial 10am closure.

 

[jpotter1]

When parks are "full" can guests staying on site still get in?

 

[mesaboy2]

When parks are "full" can guests staying on site still get in?

Depends, since there are a number of stages of closing. Onsite resort guests can still get in in all of them but Stage 4, when no one gets in.